The Key Wielders
by Zerix
Summary: A story about a young warrior called Zerix who is called to protect the worlds in a dream. He travels the worlds, teaming up with various residents of the worlds to defeat the sinister Chasers and to discover Zerix's true identity. R&R Please!
1. A Dream of Shadows, a Shadow of Dreams

**Chapter 1**

_**Prologue**_

A Dream of Shadows, a Shadow of Dreams

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_The Land of Dragons_

Zerix was carried to the Imperial City on a small log raft across the Chinese Sea. He was about eight years old at the time and no one knows where he came from or why he was brought here. Not even he could remember anything beyond his name. Being neither Chinese nor even of any Asian descent it seemed that almost no one wanted the boy. But eventually, Zerix was taken in by a soldier in the Chinese Army, one of the palace guards. He grew quickly and his swordsmanship developed quite nicely. Soon enough, when he was old enough Zerix signed up to join the Chinese Army. He was a quick learner and made quick work of boot camp and entered the army.

After a year or so, Zerix was sleeping in his tent at the campsite his regiment currently resided at. He couldn't sleep that night, but and yet he was too tired to rise. But soon enough he drifted of into a deep slumber. That night he had a dream, the strangest dream he ever had. He was falling, falling, falling endlessly, voices were speaking too him, but so many at once that he couldn't understand a word, suddenly every voice halt and he hit the ground hard. It hurt too, unlike in any other dream where he wouldn't have felt a thing. He hadn't even seen the ground coming, it was just there. Zerix brushed himself off and rose to his feet to look around. He was at the top of a mountain, or so it seemed. It was flat and snow covered, but there seemed to be no way to get off of it. It was more like a platform.

Zerix walked to the edge and looked down. He took a quick step back, it was pretty high up, and he couldn't even see the ground. Suddenly there was a voice it his ear, '_Turn, Key Wielder!_' It ordered. The voice was strange, high, almost like a mouse if such creatures could talk. Zerix turned and looked around, nothing, wait no a small shadow on the ground. Too Zerix's surprise the shadow began to animate itself into a small black creature with yellow eyes and two short antennae. Zerix stood, staring at the shadow, it looked so harmless, but something made Zerix shudder. It seemed almost pure evil, without a heart. A Heartless. The word came into his mind as if it had always been, Heartless.

The Heartless jumped at Zerix, he drew his sword and parried the little creature away. Zerix slashed down, but his blade bounced off. He tried a few more times, but his blade wouldn't even touch the Heartless. It was no use. Soon enough the Heartless, stopped its attack. Zerix dropped his blade, exhausted. His blade hit the ground and… went right through, it was gone. Zerix was distraught; his precious blade was gone, disappeared. He had totally forgotten that this was a dream. He watched as the Heartless reared up to attack his helpless body and then he felt something in his hand, it just appeared, it seemed metal, but at the same time almost magical, it was too light to be any regular sword. Zerix lifted his new weapon and slashed at the charging Heartless, it exploded into wisps of darkness. Now that the creature was gone, Zerix could finally take a look at his new blade. It was red and gold, its tip in the shape of fire and a key chain on the end in the shape of a red and gold circle. It was not like any sword he had ever seen, not only that, but it resembled a key…

'_Watch out Key Wielder, it isn't over!_' It was the voice again. Zerix turned his attention away from his new 'keyblade' he was surrounded by things exactly like the creature before, Heartless. There must have been hundreds of them. Zerix backed up; there was no way he could take them all. His foot almost slipped of the edge of the platform, but he managed to regain his balance. He was in between a long fall and a dark place. '_Jump Key Wielder! Don't be afraid to go through the door_.' Jump! Jump! Insane, but the voice had helped him twice before, it hadn't lied to him yet. What was worse, trust the voice or eternal darkness? Trust! Zerix jumped. He fell and fell and fell again, another never ending fall. Just as he was about to doubt the voice, he saw a bright light in the distance, in the shape of a door and he fell through it. There was a brilliant flash of light and the voice, '_Key Wielder, you have been called to assist the worlds! Once you see another Heartless it will be time to leave your world. Don't be afraid to go through the door!_'

Zerix woke up, it was morning and the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky and it was time to report. Zerix reached for his sword, but instead he touched the KeyBlade. It was in the exact place he usually left his own sword, right next to his mattress. Impossible, could he still be dreaming… or was it real? Zerix took the blade and left. Over the next two years, Zerix quickly rose up the ranks of the Chinese Army using his new found weapon and skills, he could do things he could never do before. At this moment he is one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards. That was where the most important things were most likely to happen. The best place to wait for the call.

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Please read and review, I refuse to post the first chapter until I get at least ONE review (or two weeks pass, either/or).

Next Chapter: Connecting the Worlds


	2. Connecting the Worlds

**Chapter 2**

**Connecting the Worlds

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**

_The Land of Dragons_

Zerix stood to the right of the Emperor of China doing his first shift of the day. It was a boring job, but sometimes he got insight on what was going on in the battle against the Hun. At least that was exciting. He folded his arms over his chest; his keyblade had disappeared as it usually did when he didn't intend to use it. At the moment the Emperor was in conference with the Commander of the Chinese Army, in other words, Zerix's boss. It was a boring conversation really; they were just talking statistics of the recent battle, no personal report or anything like that, just the straight personal losses and enemy losses etc. Zerix resisted the urge to sigh, it would have been disrespectful.

"We only had 18 casualties, 2 dead and 16 wounded."

"Good, good. Now, what about the Hun?"

"Well, my Emperor, judging from the accounts of the soldiers the Hun lost about 20 men and we wounded 4 of their soldiers before they fled. I have to say my Leigh; we have been having more and more successful battles ever since Shun-Yu was defeated. Who did that again?"

"That would be Mulan and a boy of about 15 wielding a strange key shaped weapon."

_Key? What was that about a key?_

"Yes, yes, I had forgotten the second one for a-" He was cut off, the blank look on his face showed it, he was dead, there was an intruder. Zerix jumped in front of the Emperor and the Hidden Dragon, what he named is keyblade, appeared in his right hand. He watched as the Commander collapsed. At the same time a heart shaped thing emerged from his chest and rose to the ceiling and right through it. The body disappeared into wisps of darkness. It was a sign, "The Heartless!" Zerix said, and as if on cue four shadows appeared and animated themselves into those small creatures he had seen in his dream, the Heartless. Then something strange happened, another shadow appeared, but it was quite a bit larger, if rose and morphed into a creature almost three fourths of Zerix's size. It was black, like the smaller shadows, but it was wearing armor and a silver helmet with piercing yellow eyes. The strangest thing about it was its emblem… Was this another type of Heartless?

"Emperor! Get behind me!" Zerix ordered, in a time of battle Zerix had the authority. Zerix watched as the new knight like heartless pointed toward him and the Emperor as if to give an order and in response the Shadows surrounded them. '_Key Wielder! Use your magic; take your strength from within!_' The voice again, this was most definitely the call Zerix had been waiting for. He did was seemed to come almost on instinct, he shouted the first word that popped into his head. "LAVA!" Zerix felt his strength being drained slightly as he raised the Hidden Dragon and as if out of no where spits of liquefied flame burst out of the tip of the blade and separated into four lava balls, one slamming into each of the Shadows as they charged in. They all disappeared into wisps of darkness. Now all there was left was the new Heartless. The Emblem, another word he knew without knowing. The emblem attacked with a slash and Zerix parried it away, he countered with a slash only to be blocked. Zerix pushed the Emblem back and jumped into the air, coming down hard with the KeyBlade. He slashed right through the Emblem. It was over… for now.

Zerix turned to the Emperor, "I am sorry, my Emperor, but I must-" He was cut off.

"I know what you must do. I release you with my blessing, and this." The Emperor paused and reached into his robes pulling out a charm of some sort, it was glowing red. He handed it to Zerix, "Now go, Key Wielder! Go and follow your call!"

How did he know? No time for that now, Zerix merely nodded, took his gift, and ran for the door. Soon enough he was in the palace courtyard. There just before the bridge! It was a door.

Zerix walked forward toward the door; hopefully no more Heartless would block his way. He reached the door without any interference and took a good look at the door. It was wooden with two brass knockers shaped like the heads of tigers and a brass doorknob. Floating above it was a wooden symbol shaped like what looked like a makeshift log raft. _Don't be afraid to go through the door_. Zerix remembered that very clearly, he took hold of the knob, twisted, and pulled the door open. A brilliant light engulfed him.

Zerix stood on a beach. The sea breeze was blowing and the water was lapping against the tan, grainy sand. He took a step forward in surprise; the raft was on the beach as well, just a few feet away. The raft that had delivered him to China.

Zerix stepped onto the beach and looked behind him to see the door fading out of existence. He looked back toward the rolling waves just lapping the edge of the raft. He stepped forward, the sand squishing down under his feet. Something drew him towards the raft, like he was being pulled in by an unknown force. He could have probably resisted, but he didn't want to. He needed to find out what this was all about, what was that voice, who was it? So many questions were unanswered and Zerix felt, by heading towards the raft, that some of his answers would be uncovered. He reached the raft and bent down, taking it by the edge and pushing it into the water. He hopped on and let the pull of the ocean take him out to sea.

Suddenly, Zerix felt a strange floating sensation, not the rocking of the waves, but the feeling of flight. He looked down and jumped back in surprise, almost falling off the other side of the raft. He was floating! In the air! The raft rose higher and higher until he could see only ocean below him. That's when Zerix saw something even stranger; a strange block appeared at the front of the raft. It seemed a little gelatiny and soft, but also firm. Zerix crawled over to it and poked it curiously. "WOAH!" Zerix jumped back as the block doubled, then again, then again, until the whole raft was surrounded by a wall of these gummi blocks. Again, the word had just come to him, no warning or anything, it was just there. Zerix looked up, now there was a ceiling of gummis. This was no ordinary raft, no way.

Once Zerix had finally calmed down the voice came again. _'Key Wielder, the next world awaits!'_ Zerix looked around, again the voice seemed to be coming from all sides and neither high nor low, but a mix of many voices and pitches. _'You must find the next connection, you will know it when you've found it, but beware of its doppelganger!' _Zerix didn't understand, connection? Doppelganger? It made no sense! Then, suddenly, the raft's deck disappeared below him, and he fell…

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Again, I refuse to post up the next chapter until I get at least one review! (or two weeks pass)

Next Chapter: (In your reviews vote for either Olympus Colliseum or Agrabah)

Agrabah: Zerix Vs. Aladdin

Olympus Colliseum: Hercules The Heartless Lord


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